New York City taxpayers and businesses contribute more than $10.1 billion annually in taxes, fares, tolls and direct expenditures toward Metropolitan Transportation Authority operations — far higher than generally recognized — according to city Comptroller Scott Stringer.
"When it comes to paying for the MTA, New York City residents and businesses bear a much larger financial burden than we ever knew before," Stringer said May 27.
In addition to the $5.3 billion city residents paid in fares and tolls, according to Stringer, New Yorkers paid $4.8 billion in taxes, subsidies and direct expenditures to the MTA last year.
"That's the equivalent of every New York City household contributing $130 per month to the MTA's coffers before they step onto the subway platform or pay a toll. It may be an 'invisible' fare, but New York City's taxpayers feel it in their wallet every month," he said.
Stringer
The "invisible fare" also includes $612.5 million in direct expenditures that pay for policing New York City Transit and debt service payments, said Stringer.
Though the MTA is a state agency, the state's contributions to the MTA have been significantly less than the city's. In MTA's fiscal year 2014, New York State paid $603.5 million to the MTA, roughly 4% of the authority's operating budget. This figure is 1/8th of the amount that the city contributes to the MTA, excluding fares and tolls, said Stringer.
MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast in early May asked city officials to contribute $300 million per year to the 2015-2019 capital program, or triple what the city now contributes. He also wants an additional $1 billion for the long-delayed Second Avenue subway line over the five years of the plan.
The MTA's proposed $32 billion capital program has a $15 billion shortfall.
